# Epic Fantasy: The Best Places to Start

> Answers the query: “best epic fantasy books to start with”

_Last updated: 2026-07-17_

**Short answer:** The easiest ways into epic fantasy are a great standalone or the first book of a series you can binge. Start with Samantha Shannon's doorstopper The Priory of the Orange Tree, or the opening of a Sarah J. Maas series: Throne of Glass for assassins and courts, or A Court of Thorns and Roses if you want the romance turned up.

Epic fantasy can feel like a wall of thousand-page books and unpronounceable maps. It does not have to. The trick is to start with either a self-contained story or the first book of a series that is worth the commitment. These four are the ones we hand to people who say they do not read fantasy, and then watch disappear for a week.

## The list

1. **The Priory of the Orange Tree**, Samantha Shannon (ISBN 9781408883464)
   Read this if you want everything in one book: Samantha Shannon's standalone epic of queens, dragons and a divided world, all in a single satisfying doorstopper.
   https://www.altbook.net/book/the-priory-of-the-orange-tree-3464
2. **Throne of Glass**, Sarah J. Maas (ISBN 9781526635297)
   Read this to start a series you can binge: an assassin, a deadly competition and a kingdom, the opening of Sarah J. Maas's eight-book Throne of Glass saga.
   https://www.altbook.net/book/throne-of-glass
3. **A Court of Thorns and Roses**, Sarah J. Maas (ISBN 9781526641168)
   Read this if you want the romance dialled up: A Court of Thorns and Roses is the book that pulled millions of readers into romantasy.
   https://www.altbook.net/book/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses
4. **A Day of Fallen Night**, Samantha Shannon (ISBN 9781526619761)
   Read this if Priory hooks you: A Day of Fallen Night returns to the same world centuries earlier, and works as a way in too.
   https://www.altbook.net/book/a-day-of-fallen-night

## FAQ

**What is a good first epic fantasy book?**

For a complete story in one volume, Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree is ideal. If you would rather start a series, Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses are two of the most popular gateways into the genre.

**What is the difference between Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses?**

Both are by Sarah J. Maas. Throne of Glass follows an assassin through a long, plot-driven series, while A Court of Thorns and Roses leans harder into romance and is often the entry point for romantasy readers.


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Source: AltBook, https://www.altbook.net/collections/epic-fantasy-where-to-start